Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-29
Facts and Figures for Taxpayers.

Eve, the undersigned taxpayers
and citizens of Hardin County,
submit to the voters of the county
the following facts:
The taxes levied and collected
on property and polls, for county
purposes, for 1877 and 1878, the
last two years whisky was sold in
the county, was 20 cents On each
800 worth of property, and one
dollar on each poll.
The taxes levied and collected
for the same purpose for the years
1882, 1883, 1884, 1856 and 1886,
years in which 10 whisky was sold,
was 20 cents ON each 500 worth of
property, and 90 cts. on each poll.
There are over two thousand
persons in the county who pay a
poll tax.
1t will be seen from these facts,
that during the last two years
whisky was sold in the county
there was collected off of property
and polls $1,000 year more for
county purposes than there was
during the years 1882, 1888, 1884,
1885 and 1886.
Here is a saving to taxpayers of
$4,000 in five years.
In other words it took all the
taxes the county received, from
whisky in 1877 and 1878, and one
thousand dollars each year, on
polls, to pay the ordinary expenses
of the county, more than it has ta-
ken for the last five years, under
prohibition, a clear saving to the
people Of all the taxes received
from the sale of whisky, and 81, OOO
a year on polls. This difference in
expenses represents the difference
in the costs of criminal prosecu-
ton, when whisky was sold in our
county and when it was not.
Yet, the manufacturers an d
wholesale whisky dealers of the
North, through George S. Kinney.
their president, are sending theil
pamphlets broadcast over on.
State, saying, if prohibition is
adopted our taxes will be raised.
They say, to give up the taxes
received from the sale of whisky
it will have to be put on property
In our own county we gave W
all the taxes we had been receiv
ing from the sale of whisky, an(
instead of increasing taxes OF
property and polls it decreased
them 81, 900 a year. These figures
are true; they are taken from thu
records of the county court ant
we defy any man to show to thu
contrary.
This decrease in our taXel
would have been felt by every ta1
payer, but for some extraordinar,
expenses, which could not be at
, tributed either to prohibition o
whisky. Since whisky ceased t,
be sold in our county, we hav
paid for bridges over $4,000. w
have paid for repairing our jai
over $4,000 and a large sum on aC
, count of smallpox, and large il
crease in our school tax. We Sc
!. from these facts, which are indis
!, putable, that since it was made I'LL
) lawful to sell whisky in Hardi
County, that the expenses of Grim
| nal prosecutions have decrease
{ to the amount of all the take
{ raised off of whisky when it wa
t sold and one thousand dollars pc
annum besides.
!. But this does not represent a
# the expenses saved to our either
d by prohibition in our county, bl
Il the expenses of attending courr
d and paying lawyer fees and Otht
O expenses incident to criminal pro
g ecutiOns can never be estimate
h We ask a careful considerable
s of these facts and figures, al
'. when so considered we belieN
" they will have much more weigl
with our people than any stat
ment sent out by men engaged
= the whisky traffic.
y In conclusion we will sugge
+ that on Thursday, the Goth, whit
n we go to the polls, that we
member that our wives and o
mothers are asking that we vO
8 to protect their children from t
at curse of the whisky traffic, VIII
the manufacturers and whOlesa
liquor dealers of the North, W
have grown rich off of us, are
ing their money to subvert t
will of our people in order IL
they may continue the trai
&c which makes them richer and
poorer. Yours, sc,
w. p. DoRAN,
uu j. G. WALKER,
20 j. A. CUNNINGHAM
r. d. DAVY,
al w. p. BARNHILL,
ID. W. BROYLEs,
A. G.. MCDOUGAL.
lille State of Tennessee,
:. Hardin County.
l, w. j. Watson, Clerk of
~ Counfv Court of said comfy 20